One more month until we begin to complete the first decade of the 21st century. Ten years ago today, I was finishing my first semester
as an incoming freshman at NMSU's Alumni Hall, building 700 to be exact. In that time challenges, mistakes, opportunities and accomplishments
were sorted in empty wallets, dubbed on cassette, stuffed in back packs, shared amongst peers, carried in crates, transcribed through poetry,
blessed at my family's dinner table, planned out on the road, caught with the camera's lens, constantly thought of, remembered, and when necessary,
forgotten. Throughout the months of October and November I've had the chance to reunite (sometimes by chance) with some I haven't seen in years while
at the same time continuing to build with others. As noted in our previous newsletter several from the Las Cruces community got together to recognize Hip Hop Stacks,
a partnership between the NMSU Library and Hip Hop Alumni in celebration of Hip Hop History month. Amongst literature, music and film, the November 7th afternoon
was both a blessing and beginning to what we're hoping will become a chapter amongst many in the decades to come. A lot of what I've been able to accomplish as an individual and amongst family and peers was born out of imagination. So in thinking about what's next we'll leave it at that with high hopes for greater good.
The title "Prelude" carries several connotations some of which I just discovered after submitting the term through search engines. Initially, the idea for the title came about
after observing the banner image above with the KTEP radio logo, the image of the B-Boy, the Branson Library, and the quote from Beat Within poet, Aerius. The images and message represent
for audio and as prelude is defined, a type of "introduction", "preparation for the principal", and "musical section or movement" (Merriam). Throughout many of these newsletters and websites that you're referred
to, theres almost always a song or another piece of audio that plays the background to what's going on. Whether it was the music that played during the Hip Hop Stacks event, the music that inspired photographers to document Hip Hop's inception, the KTEP State of the Arts interview referenced below, or the message in Aerius' poem titled 'My Beats are My Life", audio's power in preserving the past and inspiring new ideas is significant.
This newsletter blends the occurrences of the past two months. Shout out and special thanks to NMSU Librarian Mardi Mahaffy, Justin De Senso, Phil Campbell, everyone that attended
the Hip Hop Stacks event, the CMI Theatre, Matthew Morris & Nikki Shook from NMSU newspaper The Roundup & The Merge, Lucas Peerman of the Las Cruces Sun News, DJ Disco Wiz, author of
It's Just Begun The Epic Journey of Hip Hop's First Latino DJ, Eric Cammins of the Inventos, Hip Hop Cubano documentary, Monica Gomez and Pat Piotrowski of El Paso's State of the Arts program at KTEP 88.5 FM, Voices Behind Walls contributors, Salome & Rene, and Aerius from The Beat Within.
If you're on the Voices Behind Walls mailing list and noticed a few more emails then usual, at times I may send a note, news update or poem to keep some of what is eventually posted on this site current. If you've just
stumbled across this newsletter and would like to be added to the mailing list please send your name and email to voicesbehindwalls@gmail.com and also visit Hip Hop Alumni.com which will be updated periodically.
Until 10', we conclude this newsletter with a poem from Salome titled "Time". Condolensces to the families and prayers to the souls of Erique Lewis, Angel Garcia, Shaniya Davis and to all the young lives that have moved on in spirit.
Peace.
State of the Arts Interview* | Monica Gomez & Lee Rhyanes: YOUTUBE
KTEP 88.5 State of the Arts Program | click here |
